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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bulb — for light
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — certain
  17. date — the fruit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cell — a phone
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com